I almost dnfed this book 5 times. This book was boring to me and the narrators voice was weird to me.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I enjoyed this more then I expected to.i was enchanted from about the 30% mark and my 2nd book in a row centered around grief and navigating family. This started off very slow for me before ramping up and I am glad j kept listening as I was tempted to dnf it. This was narrated so well and look forward to checking out other books by the narrators

Absolutely recommend giving it a try

4.5/5☆

I hate doing this! I wanted to love this book so much! It sounded like it was going to be a quirky and heartwarming story. But unfortunately I had to DNF at 15%. I thought the FMC was kind of insufferable. Then FMC kept mentioning THE major event of 2020, I lived and I just don’t want to read about it. I know it was meant as a reference point in the FMC life but she kept mentioning it in all the chapters I read. I guess I wasn’t the target audience but I do hope it is received well!!
Thank you NetGalley and Hachettw Audio for an opportunity to listen to this book.

Mallory has been working remote for years and is comfortable in her apartment. She enjoys online shopping and feels like she is invisible in her family because she didn't follow the path her parents wanted her to follow. She is content in her bubble. Then her grandma passes in Floriday and Mallory inherits the home with the condition that she takes care of her grandfather a fellow introvert. As she is watching over her grandfather and fixing up her new place to be able to rent she finds a different way of living. If you are expecting a light, romantic beach read you will be surprised to find instead a beautiful, heartfelt story about connection, grief, and growth. This is more women's fiction rather than romance in my opinion. Thank you NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity.

I liked this book and feel many people will relate to Mallory especially those who work from home. I felt calling her an introvert was a bit of a misnomer. She really seemed more socially awkward than an introvert. Maybe my interpretation of an introvert is wrong. I did enjoy her relationship with her grandpa and loved her relationship with Daniel. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a cute book. Thank you Hachette Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

This one's for every introverted millennial that had that weird social transition of WFH to not. Mallory is about as average as they come but it makes her as relatable as can be. Her blossom of personal growth by the end is very heartwarming. Her relationship with her grandfather is pretty distant at the beginning. But it was my favorite part watching them grow closer and have the relationship that her grandmother knew they both needed. The romance is a background story but felt like a cute hallmark movie. I could have gone without all the political references, because ultimately she ends up there so why keep saying it? But a wonderful story of the beautiful things that come out of death and grief.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook!

Summary

Mallory lives in Seattle with most of her family, works from home, is a homebody and doesn’t socialize much. After inheriting a house from her grandmother, she temporarily relocates to Florida to begin renovations while looking after her widower grandfather.
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What I Liked

* Quick, easy, cute read.
* I identified with Mallory’s character as someone who works from home since the Pandemic.
* It gave me In Her Shoes or The Holiday vibes.
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My Review

As someone who likes to read a lot of romance, I found this book very cute. There isn’t a lot of spice, but you get a meet cute, funny situations between the FMC and MMC and a growing relationship with a distant grandfather in the mix. It isn’t super original but in my case the narration was what really helped me enjoy this book even more.
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Recommendation

Would I recommend this book? Yes - to anyone looking for a cute light romance read.

This book was cute but could have been better. I wasn’t a fan of the pandemic talk (hello I lived it, I don’t wanna read about it) but I do get why it’s in there to make the FMC even more introverted. But really it just was an excuse she used because she was more scared than introverted. It was really frustrating reading about an almost 30 yr old not knowing how to do everyday stuff that’s easy. I also wasn’t a fan of the whole political aspect. Why have the book set in Florida to only make it know you don’t like their politics because they’re too Republican. That was frustrating to read and honestly could have been left out. I did like Daniel! Hello a red headed MMC?! Yes please! I loved his sunny self and his banter. But let’s really talk about the main star of the whole book, Gramps. He was so adorable and I loved the wisdom that he had. The characters at the senior home were great also and I loved the PowerPoint presentation night. They had me laughing out loud. Overall, it wasn’t bad and I still did enjoy reading it. The narrator did a great job as well.

This book will publish on September 16, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever and Hachette Audio | Forever for my advanced readers digital copy/ audio copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

This book had a promising premise, but unfortunately the execution didn’t work for me.

One of the main challenges was the FMC. The portrayal of her as “introverted” felt misleading, as the character’s behavior aligned more with social awkwardness than with true introversion. Since introversion is about where someone draws their energy from rather than how outgoing they appear, the characterization never quite rang true. A reframing of her personality could have made the story much more compelling.

The narration also posed difficulties. While Renata Friedman delivered the main character’s regular voice well, her interpretations of side characters often felt exaggerated and veered into caricature. This was particularly distracting in the case of the love interest, whose voice came across as unnatural and ultimately pulled me out of the story.

It was disappointing, because the underlying concept had a lot of potential. With a more authentic portrayal of the FMC and subtler narration, this could have been a much stronger and more engaging read.


I was fortunate to receive a complimentary ALC from Hachette Audio via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.

How I Rate
Because I mostly read ARCs, I focus on how I think fellow readers with similar tastes will respond. I sometimes round up or down based on pacing, prose, or overall impact, and I try to keep my personal preferences from weighing too heavily.

⭐️ 1 Star – Finished, but not for me; I never DNF ARCs.
⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars – Struggled due to writing, content, or editing issues.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars – Decent read with untapped potential; recommend with some reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars – Really enjoyed it and would recommend for several reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars – Exceptional; lingers in my mind well after reading. A story I’d gladly revisit.

This is a cute audiobook. It was such an easy read. And I really enjoyed the audiobook narrators voices that she used for the characters and her pacing. I don't think the story is anything that will stick with me per se. But I did really enjoy the reminder to
foster community and care for yourself. And that doesn't necessarily mean staying in a job you hate because it makes good money.

An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love" was a cozy and sweet read. I really enjoyed following Mallory's journey, and it was great to see her character grow throughout the story. The parts featuring the grandfather were particularly heartwarming and a highlight of the book for me.

While I initially expected the main character to be more of a classic introvert, I appreciate that the story presented a nuanced view, reminding us that introversion is a spectrum. This made the story feel all the more relatable and genuine.

The narration was excellent. The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing Mallory's personality to life, and their performance truly enhanced the audiobook experience.

Overall, a lovely and engaging listen!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Are you an introvert with social anxiety that always says weird things at inappropriate times? Or is that just me? This book was so relatable and heartwarming but also absolutely hilarious. I fell in love with all of the wonderful characters and now I’m dying for another trip to Florida’s beautiful gulf coast. If you are a romance lover, you need to read this one!
The audiobook was so wonderfully narrated with a great voice (even at my preferred 2.5x speed.) Overall I would give this book a strong 4.5 stars.

4-4.5 stars. This book was delightful. I have such a soft spot for books with grandparent characters, and reading one where part of the entire premise is the main character getting to know their grandparent better, spend more time with them, and bond with them was something my heart needed. Of course there also being a romance with a property manager wrapped up in a home renovation project didn’t hurt either.

Mallory took her remote work from Seattle to Florida after being left a cottage from her grandmother with the caveat that she also look after her grandfather in addition to the home. I loved seeing her relationship with her grandfather grow. Not to get morose, but I know all too well how easy it is to take having time with a grandparent in your adult life for granted. Mallory getting to forge a deeper closeness with her grandfather as an adult was something so charming and lovely to me.

Mallory was also an introvert to her core, to which I could relate, and she was even more settled into that role as a full-time remote worker. She had to acclimate herself to opening up to new people again and making new friends. She also had to navigate developing feelings for a man who would be living on the opposite side of the country when she returned to Seattle. Daniel was pretty worth it though. I really enjoyed their dynamic and the push/pull tension of the “should we/we shouldn’t, we want to but we can’t” battle of their attraction to each other. The way their feelings and relationship developed felt really genuine.

I listened to the audiobook alongside the ebook. Renata Friedman was the narrator, and I enjoyed her performance. She had a good delivery and rhythm to her narration. She also did a good job of creating different tones and accents for the voices to really define each character in the story.

Thank you to Forever for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the ALC, both via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook. A slow burn romcom with a highly introverted mfc, but when her grandmother passes and leaves her a house states away, she goes to fix it up and to help her grandfather with day to day tasks. She falls for a guy in a bar only to find out he’s the handy man she hired to fix up the house. When multiple problems arise she ends up cancelling her flight home and staying put to help her grandfather. She states making friends and falling into a new routine when she gets an email from her job saying that they can no longer work remote and must report to the office, but she starts realizing that she was complacent in her old life but starting to feel useful in Florida with her grandfather.

Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Applebaum, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC!

This was a really cozy, small town, new beginnings kind of book. I liked how real Mallory was in that she was just as flawed as the rest of us. I also really enjoyed the narrator, Renata Friedman. However, I think it could've been better if there were more self-reflection and self-discovery moments on Mallory's part. There was actually a large portion of the book that I was more worried she was going to lose her job than anything else going on.